Keep it Nice
by OrangeMouse
Summary: "Shizu-chan, are you up for a bet? If you win, I'll leave Ikebukuro forever." Another typical day at Raira Academy, and Shizuo and Izaya find themselves stuck in detention together. Of course Izaya would do anything to get rid of the boredom. But will Shizuo accept his deal? Raira times, Shizaya
1. Monday

**A/N:**Hey! This is another story I was working on! I missed DRRR xD Shizaya is my OTP so I had to write them :)

Enjoy~

* * *

**Keep It Nice**

* * *

**_Monday_**

"No- wait-!"

_CRASH_

And with a resounding smash, the desk that was sitting ever-so-innocently on the floor was now embedded into the wall. An angry roar followed as another desk was promptly lifted into the air.

The brunette standing at the door groaned, his face in his hands. "Guys please-"

"Missed me again Shizu-chan", laughed a dark haired boy, who was leaning lightly on the upended table. The boy wore a plain red shirt, black jacket cut off at the midriff, and black pants. His blood-red eyes flashed maliciously. He chuckled."Your aim is worse than ever. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole school was destroyed before you even scratch m-whoops!"

The boy leapt aside to avoid another flying 'projectile'.

"IZAAAAAAAYA!" came a yell from a blond across the room.

"Izaya! Shizuo! Please stop it!" cried the small brunette, as he tugged fruitlessly on the blond's arm, trying to break up the fight. "It hasn't even been ten minutes and half the classroom is already demolished!"

Shizuo pried him off without a single glance; he was still glaring daggers at the other boy. "Let go of me Shinra! You know it's entirely Izaya's fault!"

"Now, now. How old are you Shizu-chan? You shouldn't go blaming the fault on others. After all, _you _threw the desk" Izaya pointed out, gesturing towards the intrusion in the wall. From his words, one could assume he was bored, if it wasn't for the maniacal smirk on his face.

"You flea- I'm going to kill you!" Shizuo yelled, throwing a heavy punch at his head. Izaya dodged it easily and flipped out his switchblade. With a flick of his wrists, a long gash appeared along Shizuo's chest splattering the ground with blood. The wound did nothing to stop the blond though, if anything it only enraged him further.

"WHY YOU-!" He was cut off as another person grabbed hold of him from behind.

"Calm down Shizuo. Shinra's right, you don't want to get detention _again,_" reasoned Kadota.

"For the third time this week", added Shinra, who was still glued to Shizuo's arm.

Shizuo hesitated. As much as he hated Izaya, he had gotten into enough trouble regarding him to last a lifetime. There was a silence in which everyone watched cautiously as Shizuo cooled down.

"And shall I point out it's only Monday?" Smirked Izaya, perched upon the table, grinning as he ran the bloody knife against his lips.

And all hell broke loose.

* * *

"_What_ did you say that for Izaya?" Sighed Shinra exasperatedly as the three of them walked back from class. Three of them referring to Kadota, Izaya, and himself. Shizuo has undoubtedly received yet_ another_ detention for 'destruction of school property'.

_Soon they were going to have to add a new section in the rules just for Shizuo,_ thought Shinra exasperatedly. _I'm sure there isn't a section for 'throwing school property and attempt at murdering a fellow classmate with a desk'._

"Why not?" smiled Izaya. "It's true after all."

"Yeah but you _don't_ try to defuse a situation by taunting him more", said Kadota shaking his head.

Izaya grinned playfully. "And who said anything about defusing the situation? It's much more fun to play with Shizu-chan when he's angry. Wouldn't you agree Dotachin?"

"Don't call me that."

"Excuse me, Izaya-kun." Came a voice from behind them. The three of them turned around and found themselves face to face with Raira academy's vice principal. She was fairly tall, taller than Kadota by the looks of it, rigid back, wore glasses, and had her hair in a tight bun at the top of her head. She wore the look of an angry parent who had just caught their child in some wrongdoing.

"Good morning vice principal", said Shinra happily, his usual smile back on his face.

She nodded politely towards him and turned back to face Izaya.

"Izaya-kun, please come with me", she said briskly.

"And why may I ask?"

"You are getting detention. You are to sit your detention now in that room", she gestured to the door at the end of the hall.

Izaya frowned. "Shizuo threw the desk, not me."

Shinra who wasn't accustomed to hearing Izaya call the blond "Shizuo", thought it sounded quite strange coming from his lips. What happened to the stupid nickname?

"We are well aware of that. However, you were also involved and you should also know that fighting in classrooms is prohibited," she said without the slightest change of tone or expression.

"And if I haven't made myself clear enough, you _will_ be sitting a double detention for an hour. In that room. _With_ Shizuo."

* * *

"I can't believe you got _me _into detention", groaned Izaya. His chair was tilted backwards so that it was leaning on two legs and his hands were behind his head, a look of utter boredom upon his face.

"You make it sound like you were just an innocent bystander. Don't shit with me flea," growled Shizuo.

The two boys were sitting on opposite sides of the room, determinedly not looking at each other. Or at least, Shizuo was. He felt that the sight of the flea's face would probably send him into another rage. Izaya however, kept throwing fertive glances towards the blond, and turning away in annoyance when he realized Shizuo wasn't looking.

A few minutes passed in silence.

Izaya turned towards Shizuo for the hundreth time and pouted. What was wrong with the idiot? _We _are in detention together, in the same room, _without_ a teacher_. Why isn't he trying to kill me? Damn it, why is it that the protozoan always defies my expectations?_

"I'm bored Shizu-chan," he whined. "You can't_ seriously _expect to sit here for an hour in silence right?"

He slipped his switchblade out from his sleeve.

"C'mon_. Play with me_."

Shinra had always been telling Shizuo to just ignore Izaya since fighting him never did much good. This time Shizuo felt like he was doing an alright job. Well, he hasn't beaten the flea into a pulp yet, though his fingers were twitching to do just that. He could still feel the flea's eyes boring into his back and that alone already makes him want to bash Izaya's face in. _But at least he shut up._

"Shizu-chan."

_And of course I spoke too soon._

"Shizu-chan, don't ignore me. I'm bored. Come on, entertain me."

Shizuo turned his head defiantly towards the wall, trying to tune out the flea's voice.

Izaya frowned. Shizuo's head whipped back immediately at the sound of a whooshing blade, missing the tip of Izaya's knife just barely.

"What the_ hell_ flea!"

"Shizu-chan, stop ignoring me it's not fun," complained Izaya.

"Maybe I wouldn't be ignoring you if your idea of _fun_ didn't include throwing knives at people! And not to mention I'm in here 'cause of you," added Shizuo.

"Aw I wouldn't say that. We're in here because _you _threw a desk...more than one."

"Well if you stop being so damn annoying I wouldn't have thrown the desk!" snapped Shizuo. He clenched his fists, his desire to hit the flea fighting with his determination not to get into any more trouble.

Izaya sighed. "This conversation is getting nowhere. It's no fun when you're so set on not fighting."

_Tch._ Shizuo crossed his arms and turned away.

"Maybe we should spice things up a bit... Shizu-chan, are you up for a bet?"

* * *

Shizuo scowled. "No fucking way you damn flea. And after all this time I've known you, your idea of interesting is fucking twisted and I'll be damned if you even know the definition of fair game."

"Oh come on Shizu-chan cut me some slack. What's the point of 'fair game' when cheating's so much more fun?" Chuckled Izaya shrugging his arms, his smile not wavering for a second. Then his expression dropped and he looked serious.

"But this time Shizu-chan I _will_ play by the rules alright? So would you play with me?"

Shizuo opened his mouth to retort but Izaya cut him off.

"I know what you're going to say so just let me add in the interesting part. If you win, _I'll leave Ikebukuro forever_." He smirked. "Tempting isn't it Shizu-chan? And I'm not lying. You know that I always keep up part of my deals. Now are you interested in playing?"

"As if you'll actually leave, flea." Scoffed Shizuo, turning his head away again.

Crossing his arms, Izaya's expression changed to that of annoyance. "You know I always keep my word in a trade. I'm an informant after all."

"By informant you mean you sell gossip to dumb female students for money."

"Hey, people are interested in gossip now. I can deal you drugs too or give you inside info on government plans, but my 'customers' here at this school are too boring. They only want local gossip." Izaya's eye twitched slightly as though irritated that nobody was interested in his actual good info. "Anyways, I do keep to the rules. Just watch out for the loopholes." He stuck out his tongue and winked.

Hmph.

A faint smiled played around Izaya's lips. He could tell Shizuo was interested.

After a few minutes, Shizuo broke the silence.

"Okay so what?"

Izaya broke into a grin.

"Yay! I knew Shizu-chan would be interested! Finally some way out of this boredom!"

"Hey! I just asked what is was! I didn't agree to anything yet!"

"Sure sure~ as long as you'll play."

Izaya let his chair drop with a loud band and turned it so that he faced Shizuo.

"The bet is that you will have to stay one week, without insulting me. That includes physical assault and any other methods of harm. You can talk though, but nothing overly rude."

He snickered.

"And with your temper you won't last a day."

A vein throbbed in Shizuo's temple.

"IZAYAA! IS THIS SOME KIND OF A JOKE?"

"Nope! Well it's funny to me! But seriously, if you win, I will leave. Just imagine, I'll never bother you again."

Shizuo's arm twitched slightly, either from rage or from the effort of restraining himself. He glowered at Izaya.

Suddenly, Izaya burst out laughing.

"HA! Your face was hilarious Shizu-chan. Aw shame you won't play. But watching your expression was fun! Thanks for entertaining me!" Izaya swiveled around in his chair, still stifling his chuckles.

_Pfft that look on the protozoan's face! That was well worth the time. He was actually predictable then. He's more predictable than I thou-_

"Deal."

Izaya's head snapped around and his jaw dropped.

_What?!_

* * *

**A/N:**So that's it for the first chapter. Kinda short I know ^^; This story will have multiple chapters (8 probably, this one and one for each day of their 'week') :D

If you liked please review! I appreciate all feedback and reviews mean more to me than favs or follows. (though I appreciate those too.)

And on another note, I've posted the first chapter of my K and DRRR crossover story. It's called Lost in the City and it will have multiple chapters too. Mainly featuring SaruMi and Shizaya. If you're interested please check it out on my page! c:

Thanks for reading!


	2. Tuesday

**Keep It Nice**

* * *

Previous chapter:

_Pfft that look on the protozoan's face! That was well worth the time. He was actually predictable then. He's more predictable than I thou-_

_"Deal."_

_Izaya's head snapped around and his jaw dropped._

_What?!_

* * *

_**Tuesday**_

The next day was bright and sunny. Just the opposite of how Shizuo felt.

It was ten minutes into first period and Izaya hadn't wasted a second in making Shizuo regret his decision is very way possible. The moment he walked into the classroom he was greeted with a tackling hug from Izaya that almost knocked him off his feet. Everyone stared as Shizuo ripped Izaya off him with a roar, preparing to throw him bodily against the wall. What everyone didn't expect was for him to suddenly freeze.

"Remembered our bet now have we Shizu-chan?" smiled Izaya sweetly, still dangling from his hood that was grasped tightly in Shizuo's hand. "You look constipated."

Shizuo grimaced as if every word had been a slap. Well it sort of was, mentally.

After a few minutes, Shizuo set Izaya back onto the ground with a slightly strained smile.

"Good morning to you too Izaya," he growled, "and I'm not losing that easily." He turned and stalked off to his seat leaving Izaya looking utterly delighted. His red eyes narrowed and a smirk played around his lips.

_Well that was an interesting development._

And if that wasn't bad enough, Izaya's seat happened to be right behind his and as a result the rest of their period one lecture was punctuated by repeated stabs to his back, courtesy of Izaya. At least he decided to use a pen, rather than his pocket knife. Not even five minutes had passed and Shizuo seemed already quaking with rage. Even his fellow classmates where attempting to inch away from him as he practically radiated a murderous aura. The only people who seemed unaffected or otherwise uninterested were Izaya, Shinra who was siting up front, Kadota, and the teacher. After nearly half an hour of this torture, Shizuo spun around, a vein throbbing in his temple. He was gripping the backrest of his seat so hard that the wood was beginning to crack.

"What. Are. You. DOING?!" he demanded.

Waving the pen around Izaya ginned and replied innocently, "What ever do you mean Shizu-chan?"

And he jabbed Shizuo again.

_Snap_

Before the class even processed what had happened, the door already banged shut and Shizuo was gone. His books were still strewn all over his desk and on it, his pencil broken straight down the middle.

* * *

The wind was cool, gently ruffling his hair as it blew over the rooftops. Shizuo watched his bangs rippling in the breeze, his hazel eyes bright in the morning sunlight. He had his head on his arms, leaning casually on the top of the metal fence.

"Hey, I figured you would be here."

Shizuo raised his head from his arms and turned to face the door.

"Well, the school roof had always been one of your favourite places to relax and calm down right?"

Shinra walked towards Shizuo, a smile on his face. Shizuo's bag was slung over his shoulder. He set it down next to him.

"You left everything behind when you left class. You can copy my notes later if you want."

"Ah, sure thanks Shinra…"

Shinra sat down beside Shizuo and when he didn't continue, he asked, "So what's up Shizuo? Why're you so mad at Izaya today?"

Shizuo made an annoyed sound.

"Okay okay maybe I should be asking why Izaya is bothering you so much today?"

Still silence.

Shinra sighed.

"Fine fine no need to tell me, I just thought it might help. Don't ditch class this afternoon Shizuo. Your lunch is in your bag. See you next period!" With a quick smile, Shinra got up and left.

* * *

Shizuo did show up for the following period science, but nothing eventful happened. Izaya was in a different class. However, Shizuo did notice that a lot of girls were crowding around their table and a few kept pointing at him.

"You ask him!"

"No you ask!"

One of them looked like they were going to say something but then changed their minds and turned back. Their giggling was really starting to put him off. What did he do wrong now?

They were conducting a lab today and Shizuo had to endure an hour and a half of Shinra blabbing to him about all the stuff he'd like to try on the specimen to see if he could make it explode. He seemed extremely enthusiastic about dissecting an animal so Shizuo just ended up excusing himself and leaving Shinra to his creepy experiments.

After class he met up with Kadota and made their way to last period. Shinra caught up later, having to go and change because apparently his 'experiment' had been a success.

"So how was gym Kadota?" asked Shizuo, trying to stay off the topic of the exploding frog.

"Mm fine. Basketball and relays. Izaya was looking for you though," he added. "What's up with you this morning? It's not like you to just walk out on class."

"Would you prefer I destroy the classroom again?"

"Was it Izaya?"

"What else could it have been? That damn flea I wish he'd die." Shizuo suddenly perked up. "Can he swim? Do you think he could drown?"

"Stop being so positive," said Shinra sarcastically. "And do you really think he would drown in home economics class?"

Shizuo shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe. No one really likes him. His partner, that Namie or something, didn't she often threaten to kill him? With soup?"

"You're impossible Shizuo," sighed Shinra exasperatedly. "By the way, are you going to the dance?"

"What dance?"

Shinra perked up.

"Oh you haven't heard? The school is hosting a dance this Friday. It's going to be a semi-formal. Everyone's going!" said Shinra cheerfully.

"Mm, not interested," grunted Shizuo.

"Aww come onnn," whined Shinra. "It'll be fun! Even Kadota's going!"

"Only 'cause you wouldn't leave me alone if I said no," muttered Kadota resentfully.

Shinra smiled but otherwise ignored him.

"Comeeee Shizuo!"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"NO."

"You can bring a date?"

"DEFINITELY NOT."

"Please, please, please!"

"SHUT UP SHINRA!"

"I will if you come!"

"Shut up! Fine I'll think about it!" snapped Shizuo.

Shinra smiled at Kadota.

"You should really stop that," sighed Kadota.

* * *

It was last period and Shizuo was sitting math class with Shinra and Kadota. Shizuo thanked the heavens that Izaya wasn't in this class or he just might end up killing him. The class was alright, he understood most of what the teacher had said and received decent marks for the test. But again, there were another group or giggling girls in the back. At first he wasn't certain they were pointing at him, but they got quite loud and there was definitely no one else called Shizuo.

It was really putting him off. What on earth could he have done to anger these girls that he barely even talked to? After all, most people avoid him because majority were at least _a little _afraid of him. He was known for having a short fuse and super strength and his daily fights with Izaya definitely didn't help tone down the matter.

"Hey Shizuo," Shinra walked up to Shizuo's desk and put a hand on his shoulder. "You really shouldn't be sleeping in class~"

Shizuo lifted his head off his arms and glared at Shinra sheepishly. "Fine, but it was boring and we didn't do anything new."

"Did you at least take notes?"

Shizuo nodded. Lifting his bag off the back of the chair Shizuo joined Kadota who was waiting at the door and they made their way to their lockers.

"Hey Shinra," began Shizuo. "Do you know those girls who sat behind me?"

"Not really, I know their names they're in some of my classes but we've never talked much." Replied Shinra. "Why, do you need something Shizuo?" he asked curiously.

"No nothing, they've been talking the whole period and I think they're talking about me. They mentioned my name quite a few times. Think I could've done something to put them off?" He seemed slightly worried. Though Shizuo rarely cared what others thought about him, he still didn't like to have people angry at him without knowing the reason.

Shinra glanced at Shizuo. "Mm did they seem mad?"

"Well not real-"

"Hey! What's up Shinra?" Interrupted a voice behind them. There was no mistaking that voice. Shizuo's fists tightened immediately and Kadota sighed. "Don't tell me you're surprised people hate you Shizu-chan, after all you're a monster~" chimed Izaya with a grin.

"Haha don't say that Izaya! It's not nice!" laughed Shinra nervously as Izaya caught up with them.

"What's wrong Shizu-chan? Not feeling well?" asked Izaya, his voice clearing mocking the blond. He ignored Shinra completely.

To his surprise, Shizuo made no move against him. He didn't even so much as look at him. After what had happened his morning, Izaya was very much amused at the amount of self control he had developed. Blood red eyes narrowed and he grinned. _Interesting._

"Um, excuse me?" came a small voice from behind Izaya. They all paused and turned around. Shizuo tried his best not to look at Izaya.

It was one of those girls from math class, the ones who kept chatting in the back. She had short brown hair clippedback over her forehead, a petite figure, and light blue eyes. Her hands clutched the straps of her bag twisting it as she glanced at them nervously.

"Yes?" smiled Izaya.

"Um, I'd like to speak to Shizuo-kun please?" she asked nervously.

Shizuo stared at her in surprise. _Really, what did I do? _

"Yeah?" he replied. Shinra and Kadota turned and continued down the hallway to their lockers. Izaya on the other hand lingered behind watching Shizuo with an expression of upmost amusement.

"I-I was wondering if - if you'd like to go to the dance with me?"

Shizuo stared.

_What? Why- huh?_

Izaya snickered quietly. Well that was unexpected. He could tell Shizuo was even more shocked than he was, he was practically gaping. _What a stupid look _he mused. _I'm surprised anyone in his school would want to go with that monster. Sure he's not bad looking, if he wasn't busying throwing furniture at you. But this is interesting._

Shizuo fumbled with his bag awkwardly. "I-"

Izaya cut him off before he could continue. He swung an arm over Shizuo's shoulders and smiled at the girl.

"I'm really sorry, but Shizuo-san is going with me."

* * *

**A/N: **haha so did you expect that? XD **_Pleas__e review and tell me if you'd liked it :) any suggestions for next chapter are welcome~_**

tbh I'm not really sure where I'm going with this story, this and Midori Kitty were both written on a whim (because I missed by otps xD) so I'll just develop the plot as I go along~ hope you liked it! thanks for reading c:


	3. Wednesday (A)

**A/N: **sorry I took so long to update! I was away for a while. Thank you for all reviews, favs, and follows though ^^

* * *

**Keep It Nice**

* * *

Previous chapter:

_What? Why- huh?_

_Izaya snickered quietly. Well that was unexpected. He could tell Shizuo was even more shocked than he was, he was practically gaping. What a stupid look he mused. I'm surprised anyone in his school would want to go with that monster. Sure he's not bad looking, if he wasn't busying throwing furniture at you. But this is interesting._

_Shizuo fumbled with his bag awkwardly. "I-"_

_Izaya cut him off before he could continue. He swung an arm over Shizuo's shoulders and smiled at the girl._

_"I'm really sorry, but Shizuo-san is going with me."_

* * *

_**Wednesday [A]**_

* * *

The news that Shizuo was going to the dance with Izaya had spread through the school like wildfire. By the next day, there didn't seem to be a single person who hadn't yet heard the news. Girls kept crowding up in hallways whispering and giggling to each other, guys pointed and stared every time one of them passed. Rumours followed them around everywhere, not that Izaya minded.

Izaya didn't seem affected in the least. Sure he had an image to protect and he didn't want the school to think that he'd stoop to levels like that monster for a date, but most people (knowing him) seemed to be under the impression that he was just doing this for the fun of it. And they were right, for the most part.

But to tell the truth, Izaya really did want to win the bet. He had initially started it believing that Shizuo would reject it; it was no more than a way of taunting him to get rid of the boredom. Ever since they had first met, Izaya had been extremely intrigued by the monster's brute strength and most of all, his unpredictability. Izaya claimed to love humans because they were so weak, so dependant, so trusting, and so _predictable_. They were too easy to control and twist in his little games. But he hated Shizuo, because no matter what he did, what he said, the brute would always do exactly the opposite of what he expected.

Some may question his way of thinking but to Izaya, having Shizuo accept the bet was like being one-upped by him. Just when he'd thought he had gotten a hang of the way the protozoan thinks, might've outsmarted him finally, he had been proved wrong. And Izaya hated being wrong. So ever since then, he had been doing his utmost to make Shizuo lose the bet, to prove him wrong. As though saying _you can't win, you never had a chance and I was right. _He wanted to get back at Shizuo, simple as that.

_Plus, there was no way the great Orihara Izaya would ever like someone the likes of Shizu-chan_. Izaya mused. _But his reaction back there was quite hilarious. _

Izaya had fully well expected Shizuo to just ditch the bet and charge him with everything he's got. That was just like the monster he was. After all, he had just invited himself as Shizuo's date to the dance without his permission. Izaya had watched with a smile as Shizuo gaped at him entirely thrown off guard by this sudden pronouncement.

_Haha, looks like I've out-predicted you Shizu-chan~_

"_How long are you going to stand there with that stupid look?" he had asked. Well this part was definitely predictable; Izaya grinned and prepared himself to counter the strike that was sure to come._

_Except it didn't._

_What did come was a deafening crash and Izaya blinked his eyes in surprise, realizing that it wasn't aimed at him. He turned to see Shizuo standing behind him panting heavily, his fist out and standing in a pile of rubble that was clearly a wall just two seconds ago. And with that, he rushed off leaving Izaya standing in the messed up hallway rather awkwardly with the rejected girl._

Walking down the last corridor to his class, Izaya scowled at the memory of yesterday. _Three - one to Shizu-chan I guess. And just when I thought I had gotten him back for accepting the bet on Monday, he just had to turn around and defy my expectations again. _

What a troublesome game he had set up.

His lips curved into a slight smile.

_But that was all part of the fun._

* * *

Shinra hadn't seen Shizuo since yesterday. It was Wednesday morning and he was sitting in homeroom with Kadota waiting for the teacher to show up. Izaya was late as usual.

"Wonder where Shizuo is now?" he pondered out loud. Kadota shrugged in response.

"Hey Kadota," began Shinra, prodding his side repeatedly. "Do you think Shizuo really is going to the dance with Izaya? I mean, I wanted him to go but I really didn't think he'd ask _Izaya _of all people."

With a sigh, Kadota closed the book he was reading and turned to face Shinra. "Didn't you hear the rumours that were going around, well I highly doubt they were rumours. Do you really think Shizuo _asked _Izaya? Knowing those two it's more likely that Izaya _tricked _Shizuo into going than Shizuo asking him. There has been a lot of talk on that recently."

Shinra grinned back. "Yeah I know, when I was coming here in the morning, people in the hallways were all talking about it. _The strongest person in this school and the number one troublemaker were going out ._Though I'd say the school is more worried about them destroying the place," chuckled Shinra.

"Well with those two there's no doubt that-"

He was cut off as a hand draped over his shoulder and someone leaned down, chin resting on his shoulder.

"So, what're you guys talking about?" grinned Izaya, his red eyes flashing dangerously.

"What everyone's talking about of course!" piped up Shinra happily. Kadota wondered how this guy never seemed to be afraid of Izaya. "So are you guys really going to the dance together?"

"Of course," replied Izaya, completely unabashed. In fact, he sounded rather bored. _After all what was the point of starting all this nonsense if Shizu-chan was just going to defy it all over again._

At that moment the classroom went silent, all mutterings died out within two seconds. Izaya glanced around wondering if it was something he said, then his eyes turned to the door.

_Ah. No wonder. Shizu-chan is here._

Shizuo didn't look at all like his usual self. If anything, he looked extremely tired. His clothes were ruffled and crinkled, his shirt sleeves were rolled up so that many barely healed scratches were visible on his arms and hands, and his uniform jacket was missing. His eyebrows contracted and his hazel eyes narrowed. He looked tired and irritated.

It was no surprise that the class fell silent as Shizuo dragged himself up to his seat before plopping into his chair and dropping his head onto his arms.

It was also no surprise that Izaya broke the silence. "Hey Shizu-chan? What's wrong?" he asked tauntingly.

There was no response. Izaya blinked wondering if the blond was ignoring him on purpose. He stood up and was about to prod him on the head when his arm was grabbed from behind by Shinra.

"Izaya-san, you probably shouldn't do that. He's sleeping," Shinra pointed out. Izaya turned to look. Shizuo was indeed sleeping. His back rose and fell gently and his blond bangs twitched every time he exhaled. His eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly.

_Huh, wondered what caused him to be that tired._

Around him everyone sighed in relief. It seemed that the whole class had been holding their breath while Izaya had approached Shizuo.

Shinra grinned playfully. "It looks like they expected a war to break out."

Kadota glanced at him looking rather relieved himself, he had been tense just a few second ago as though preparing to hold back the blond by force if necessary. "One of these days it just might happen Shinra."

Izaya just waved a hand as though dismissing the situation before settling back into his seat behind Shizuo. The rest of the class was spent with his crimson eyes glued on Shizuo, watching the steady rise and fall of his back.

_Why is he so tired? And not to mention beaten up?_

_And most of all... why do I even care?_

* * *

No one had been foolish enough to wake Shizuo during the class and as a result when the bell rang he was still in heavy slumber. The class shuffled awkwardly past him to exit the room in a hurry. The only ones to remain being Shinra, Kadota, and Izaya. Shinra didn't question why Izaya stayed behind but did give him a slightly skeptical look that clearly said _I don't think he needs to see you the moment he gets up. _Izaya merely returned his glare with a cheeky smile only for Shinra to sigh in defeat.

It was fascinating how the four of them can almost communicate without words, like they were so used to each other and the way they think that a glance can be just as effective as a statement. One may think that this means they've reached a new level of friendship, but to Izaya, it just meant that he was getting better at reading people. Especially people who weren't normal like Shinra.

Shinra approached Shizuo calmly and gently shook him by the shoulder. His touch was so soft Izaya was doubtful that the brute even felt anything. After a few shakes, Shizuo muttered a low grumble before lifting his head off his arms.

Izaya fought the urge to burst out laughing at the large red mark on the right side of the blond's face that just spent an hour pressed to the tabletop. Shizuo stared at Shinra groggily but then his eyes met Izaya's and his expression hardened. Shinra who clearly saw what was about to happen, grabbed Shizuo's bag and shoved it into his hands.

"Here! Shizuo we should get going, you have PE next don't wanna be late!" he smiled brightly. Kadota envied his ability to stay perky in these kinds of situations.

Sweeping his eyes once over the almost empty classroom, Shizuo gave a small nod of acknowledgement at Shinra, slung his bag over his shoulder, and exited the room without a second glance at Izaya. Izaya watched him go with a blank stare. Kadota was the first to voice Izaya's thoughts.

"What's up with him today?"

Shinra shook his head. "Who knows, looks like he's got into a fight again with all those wounds and what not. Maybe I'll treat him after lunch." They both turned to Izaya who blinked and shrugged his shoulders.

"What're you looking at me for? I haven't sent gangs after him for a week, it's not my fault."

Sighing, Shinra picked up his own bag and turned to leave. "Well… how should I put this. Sending gangs after him isn't exactly the _only _thing you do that sets him off you know."

"I know," chuckled Izaya. "I'd know better than anyone."

"And yet you don't know what's happened to him?" prompted Shinra.

That took Izaya by surprise.

_Over the years he's found out so many things about Shizuo, most of them being an extensive list of things that angered him. But try as he may, he's never been able to grasp much of how the blond _thinks. _What the hell happened to him yesterday?_

"My guess is as good as yours Shinra," replied Izaya plainly. "You don't expect me to understand how that monster thinks right?"

"I- I guess I don't," muttered Shinra. His voice was neutral but his eyes were hard. It wasn't that he didn't like Izaya, the four of them had always been close friends no matter how different they were and how much they claimed to hate each other. Usually when a dispute rises up, Shinra would always be the one to settle them down with a smile. But he wasn't smiling now. He knew- no- had _always known _that Izaya was different. His mind worked differently, which had previously been a point of fascination for him was now beginning to get on his nerves. Shinra isn't usually a person to get angry, but he didn't want to see his friends hurt. "Very well then, I see you in class Izaya."

He nodded towards Kadota and turned to leave. Halfway through the door, he paused. "Izaya, just don't cross the line." And the door snapped shut.

* * *

"Back here again?"

"Hm.."

There was a light laugh, "was that a question?"

"Take it whichever way you want."

They were back on the rooftop again. Shizuo kept his word and went to PE, though the moment the bell rang for lunch, he made his way straight up to the rooftops. Shinra who was worried for his friend, had followed as well.

At first, they sat in silence. As usual, Shizuo had his eyes closed. There was just something soothing about the feel of the wind in his hair, it was like all his worries were being blown away. Shinra sat on the metal bench next to the railing and ate his lunch with minimal talking. Shizuo appreciated this, Shinra was almost always talking, shooting his mouth off about this and that but that's the last thing he needed right now with the migraine he's worked up. After nearly twenty minutes, Shinra finally spoke.

"So what's bothering you Shizuo?"

Straight forwards as always. Shizuo almost smiled but then his mind focused back to the problem at hand. "Izaya."

"Alright, that wasn't a good question. _How _exactly is Izaya bothering you?"

Shizuo turned to look at him. Funny enough how he and Izaya argued day in and day out annoying the hell out of both Shinra and Kadota and yet Shinra was still willing to help him out with his problems. He really appreciated it.

He sighed heavily. "Remember Monday? When me and Izaya had detention together?"

Shinra nodded.

"Well we agreed on a bet."

"I figured as much."

"I-wait what? Really?"

Shinra smiled at him, his usual bright smile. "Haha well you've been acting differently after Monday especially around Izaya and that time yesterday in period one, the Shizuo I know would have definitely thrown Izaya into the wall."

Shizuo grinned. "You know me well. That flea was asking for it."

"And yet you didn't, why's that?"

"Well… basically," began Shizuo awkwardly, "How do I phrase this… It's sort of like I swore not to be rude or attack Izaya and if I could do that for a week, Izaya would leave Ikebukuro."

There was a pause.

"Really? Izaya was just willing to _leave?"_

"Yeah I think so assuming he wasn't lying, but I wouldn't put it past him. If he is then I'll just wring his neck."

"Well… it's a little sketchy but knowing Izaya he's probably _not _lying. He is quite serious about deals but wow he must be really into this if he's will to leave Ikebukuro for it." Speculated Shinra, his eyes wide.

"Mm I know right…" Shizuo leaned his head back over the fence. "Sometimes I wonder if he even sees us as his friends, I mean- I hate the flea and half the time I want nothing more than to murder him but- I dunno… we- we are his friends right?" He glanced at Shinra.

_Could I honestly count Izaya as a friend? What with all he's done, sending gangs and criminals after me… and when we fight, we were both fighting to _kill.

"I'm just a source of entertainment to him," spat Shizuo before Shinra could reply. "The stupid twisted flea's played with who knows how many lives, that creepy obsession with _humans_."

Shinra watched him intently, half wondering if he was working himself into a rage and half comntemplating a way to perhaps lighten his anger.

"Shizuo," he began cautiously. "I don't pretend to understand Izaya, I think few people actually do, but… I think, we can- or at least I do count Izaya as a friend. I'm not going to lie, he's not the most caring person out there and he can be quite dangerous, but… I don't know how to put this- I know you hate violence but whenever you two have your little -okay not little- spars, you always seem so pumped. Either way, you're stressing yourself too much over him." Shinra glanced at his watch.

"Class is going to start soon, I'd tell you not to skip but… come to class when you've calmed down alright?" He smiled. "Don't overdo it Shizuo."

* * *

_So pumped huh? Do I really seem like that when we're fighting… I hate violence though._

Shizuo sat with his head in his arms staring at the teacher but not really seeing. He followed Shinra's advice and calmed down for the time being, but at the same time what Shinra said is starting to confuse him.

_Shinra thinks of Izaya as a friend… but Shinra is friendly with everyone. Most people are afraid of me anyways, ever since I threw that desk in middle school. And my fights with Izaya don't do anything to tone it down either. According to Izaya… I'm a monster. Ha then what does that make him? A pretty face that draws you in with pretty words, pretty and fake. Izaya plays life like a game with everyone as his pawns. _

_But not me, I refuse to be played._

After class, Shizuo met up with Shinra and Kadota again and they made their way to their lockers. Shinra didn't pry but he seemed rather pleased that Shizuo had calmed down. Izaya hadn't shown up for the rest of the day after their meeting in the morning, to Shizuo's surprise. He was just about to ask Shinra if something was up when Shinra beat him to the cut.

"Izaya skipped class this afternoon if that's what you were thinking."

"I-ah, yeah…" muttered Shizuo. So Izaya hadn't shown up again huh… Not that he was complaining or anything, but he's got a fair chance of winning this bet if Izaya continues to evade him. After all, Izaya is the only one that sets him off anyways. But that's highly out of character of him to just give up on something so easily. And not to mention if he actually abides by his rules, he would have to leave Ikebukuro if he lost.

Shinra paused. "By the way Shizuo, why were you injured?"

"Huh?"

"Your arms, did you get in a fight again?"

"Ah… yeah."

Shinra sighed heavily. "Who was it this time?"

"The same person it always was of course," growled Shizuo, glaring at Shinra, "Izaya."

"Really?" asked Shinra, clearly taken aback.

"Why what's the big deal?"

"It's just that, we talked to Izaya this morning, he said he had nothing to do with it."

"Well, it wasn't Izaya personally, it rarely ever is," said Shizuo. "Just some gang members he probably hired. They went after me last month, beat the shit out of them but guess they came back. Never mind, I'll see you tomorrow." He bid farewell to Shinra and Kadota and turned down the hallway to his locker.

To his irritation, the area around his locker was crowded by a bunch of loud giggling girls. They shuffled aside so that he could get to his locker but before he could so much as turn the lock, a loud cry came down the hallway, and there's no mistaking that voice.

"Heyy! Shizuo-san~"

Dropping his bag onto the ground, he turned grumbling. "Erika."

Said girl was running up to him, her bag swinging wilding from her shoulder, one hand waving at him and the other clutching another of her hundreds of manga. Behind her followed Walker who grinned at Shizuo apologetically.

"Shizuo-san! I haven't seen you around at lunch!"

"Uh yeah I was with Shinra... what's up Erika?"

"Ne ne," she shuffled up to him, eyes sparkling. "Is it true you're going to the dance with Iza-chan?"

"Iza-chan..? Oh- the flea," he snorted. "Yeah, sure."

"Shizuo calls Iza-chan a flea?" she grinned. "Is that like a cute nickname? Are you two dating?"

"Nope, more like a diss I hope. Well, right now I'm not supposed to insult the bastard so we'll just keep it at that for now."

"You just called him a bastard though," pointed our Walker.

"Shut up walker," snapped Shizuo jokingly.

"Pfft, anyways Shizu-chan," began Erika, dropping her bag to the ground.

"Oi, don't call me Shizu-chan." Interrupted Shizuo.

"I have something for you, Iza-chan told me to give it to you." Her grin was wider than ever as she dug around in her book bag and drew out a large bouquet of roses. She made a large act out of bending down on one knee and lifting up the flowers like they were a prize.

"A gift to Shizu-chan, from Iza-chan!" she announced dramatically. Walker snorted. The crowd of girls around them began giggling madly as well.

Shizuo felt his hand twitch, suddenly the desire to throttle Izaya was overwhelming. _So Izaya is making fun of him now?!_

"And there's a card as well!" continued Erika , completely ignoring Shizuo's murderous glare. Pulling a slip of paper from her pocket, she thrust it into Shizuo's face.

Curious, he flipped open the paper and read:

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue,_

_I've never met a brute_

_As stupid as you _

_Love, Izaya ^^~_

And with that, his patience snapped. Abandoning his books and bag, Shizuo rushed past Erika and headed for the stairs.

"IZAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

**A/N:**thanks for reading! Please review ^^ I'm open to suggestions if you want to see anything in particular happen ;D


	4. Wednesday (B)

**A/N: **short chapter ^^ it's a continuation of last chapter, still Wednesday~

* * *

**Keep It Nice**

* * *

Previous chapter:

_Curious, he flipped open the paper and read:_

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue,_

_I've never met a brute_

_As stupid as you_

_Love, Izaya ^^~_

_And with that, his patience snapped. Abandoning his books and bag, Shizuo rushed past Erika and headed for the stairs._

_"IZAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"_

* * *

_**Wednesday [B]**_

* * *

Shizuo caught up with Izaya on the roof. Go figure, that guy's always where he's not supposed to be but at the moment he couldn't care less. Izaya was leaning casually on the fence, one leg over the other, lightly fingering his switchblade. He smiled when he saw Shizuo.

"My, how did you find me here Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo growled, a deep rumbling from his the back of throat that sounded reminiscent to a wild animal. Izaya didn't flinch.

"FLEA! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Izaya chuckled. With a snap of his wrist, the blade clicked closed and he dropped his arms to his sides, sliding the knife into his pocket. He threw an amused glance at Shizuo who was clearly seething with anger.

"Aww Shizu-chan didn't like my flowers? Or perhaps it's the poem. I was never much good at poetry you know."

He smirked and spread his arms dramatically.

"But I assure you I put my heart and soul into it! I meant every word."

Shizuo grabbed him abruptly by the collar and yanked him forward and their noses almost collided but Izaya didn't so much as wince. He surveyed Shizuo calmly with this bright red eyes, Shizuo could see himself reflected in those eyes he hated. For a second, his reflection caught his attention; he looked beyond angry, _like a monster._

That thought struck him frozen for a moment. What was all that before about not being a monster? Being strong enough to control his own strength? Not being played as Izaya's pawn?

_Tch._ He was losing himself again. And the bet, well he's lost bets before, what difference does one more make really? But still...

He glared into Izaya's eyes. _If this bastard left Ikebukuro... he'd be out of my life forever._

It felt like they stood there for hours just glaring at each other. No one spoke a word but the very air between them was thick with tension. Izaya was the first to break the silence.

"Oh? What's this? Seems like I was right all along," whispered Izaya who was watching Shizuo intently the whole time. His face had been neutral but his eyes betrayed a hint of interest. "You've gotten better at self control."

Making his decision, Shizuo dropped Izaya's shirt with a final huff and turned to walk away. He wasn't going to lose this bet, not this one. Keeping your eyes on the prize, as Shinra would put it. The bet stated he couldn't initiate any form of physical violence with the guy but nothing's going to make him sit here and listen to him talk. If worse came to worst, he just might get into another fight today, just not with Izaya.

"Wait, don't go yet Shizu-chan," drawled Izaya, calmly smoothing out his shirt where Shizuo had crumpled it. "I have something we need to talk about."

"I don't need to talk with you at all," hissed Shizuo, making no move to stop.

Izaya huffed. "It's about that fight you were in yesterday. With that coloured gang, the guys in green remember?"

Shizuo slowed to a stop, back still facing away from Izaya. His fist clenched.

"So... that was your doing too Izaya?" No surprise.

Izaya's smirk dropped to a frown. "You flatter me Shizu-chan but that wasn't me. I believe I've hired them a month ago to go after you but after you sent them home flying... guess that didn't go to well with their reputation." He gave a dark chuckle. "Looks like someone wanted revenge."

Oh? That's a surprise.

Izaya continued; disregarding the fact that he was talking to Shizuo's back. "I know what you're thinking_; this is foul play isn't it?_ If you have to stay polite for a whole week, why do I still get to be an asshole?" He gave a short humorless chuckle.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"You took the words right out of my mouth flea," grumbled Shizuo.

"Well yeah, since I agreed to play fair (or as fair as I'll ever get) -he laughed- I've made up for it."

Scoffing, Shizuo finally turned back to face Izaya, eyebrows raised and eyes narrowed."Made up for it? Is that what those flowers were for? An _apology_? You've got to be shitting me." This day was just getting weirder and weirder. Since when did Izaya care about 'making up' for his mistakes? The flea's made far too many to ever make amends for in Shizuo's opinion.

"Pffft no those were merely to taunt you," grinned Izaya. "Moreover to get you up here anyways. Either way, here-"

_Bing!_

Shizuo glanced at Izaya questioningly. A text message? Reaching into his pocket he retrieved his phone and flipped it open. It was a picture attachment. Pretty messed up by the looks of it, it showed the gang members that ambushed Shizuo yesterday lying sprawled on the ground, the one he took to be their leader was tied to a chair with police warning tape. Everyone was bruised and battered and seemingly unconscious. One of Izaya's knives pinned the police tape to the sides of the chair giving the tied up figure a very distorted appearance. Shizuo looked up at Izaya in disgust.

"This is what you mean? You beat up the gang? I don't want _you _to fight for me flea."

Izaya snickered. "Ironic that's coming from you. As I've said, I just wanted to talk, maybe if you gave me a chance to _explain_, you wouldn't be so angry."

Shizuo clenched his fists and glared at Izaya, fuming silently. As much as this was ironic, Shizuo detested the idea of someone using violence in his name. Especially if that someone was Izaya. As much as he'd like to throttle the flea, he decided he wasn't giving up his part of the bet so early. But seriously, if Shinra were here, he'd certainly be against the idea of Izaya assaulting a bunch of thugs. He leaned against the fence, arms crossed.

"Alright, you've got three minutes to explain why you attacked a random gang and beat them half to death. I'm listening."

"Great!" Swinging his arms over head, Izaya plunked down onto the bench beside Shizuo and gestured for him to join. When the blond made to move to do so, he sighed and went on. "So Shizu-chan, let me first get it out there I didn't attack the gang unconditionally and without reason-no _wait_ let me finish-" he waved an airy at hand at Shizuo who showed every sign of interrupting.

"I'm sure you had no problem dealing with that the gang that attacked you yesterday. Probably beat them up better than I did," he continued, shrugging nonchalantly. "And judging from what happened last month, it's highly likely they'll want revenge again right?" He glanced at Shizuo who reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"So what then?" he blurted unable to hold back from interrupting. "They're still looking for me? I'll beat them up as many times as they need to get it in their thick heads that they're never going be defeat me. Is that it Izaya? That's all you've got? Well then-"

"_Shut up_ Shizuo," snapped Izaya irritably. He looked genuinely annoyed now. He certainly wasn't used to being interrupted and this _dumb brute_ didn't seem to be able to put two and two together. "I thought you'd be smarter than this but I'm honestly disappointed. Turns out you're just a brainless protozoan after all." He shot Shizuo a glare that clearly dripped disappointment.

"What was th-?!"

"I think after two beatings they'd realize they can't defeat you don't you?" hissed Izaya, prodding a finger harshly at Shizuo's chest.

"Then what's the big deal?"

"The _big deal_ is that there's more that one way to destroying a person other than just their own physical self," continued Izaya with asperity. _Think _Shizu-chan, I'll give you a hint. Isn't there anything else or perhaps _anyone _else whose death would affect you more than your own?"

There was a few seconds of stunned silence after Izaya's proclamation. Shizuo's eyes were wide with shock; it looked like he finally understood. Izaya watched him carefully.

"_Kasuka_?"

"Precisely," concluded Izaya briskly. He had his pocket knife out again, idly playing with the blade. It flashed with between his long pale fingers.

"When did this happen?" asked Shizuo looking genuinely concerned now.

Izaya looked at him disinterestedly that the taunting was over. "Today, after lunch. Shinra told you I skipped didn't he? They tried to ambush your brother on his way home for lunch. I would've thought you'd go with him so I didn't pay it much attention."

"I was going to..." muttered Shizuo. He felt guilty now. He had been on the rooftops trying to cool his mind while not even considering the possible consequences of his actions.

"So you...?"

"Intercepted them, immobilized them, disposed of them," answered Izaya tonelessly. "Unfortunatly I didn't make it back in time for science as Shinra was so kind to remind me." He didn't even spare Shizuo a glance, attempting to file his nails with his blade.

"That's-I mean-uh… t-thanks," stammered Shizuo, not really sure about what to say. Should he be thanking Izaya? He was running his hand through his hair agitatedly wondering if he should call Kasuka. "So… Kasuka's alright, right?" he asked Izaya.

"No injuries, he seemed entirely unfazed by the fact that I just dragged a group of men away with a knife."

"I see…" Well that was quite like Kasuka. So Izaya really just protected his brother…? To what ends… knowing Izaya, Shizuo would be expecting him to use this as leverage for some future plot of his. That's how the guy works anyway, always three steps ahead of everyone else and pulling strings from the background. Can he honestly believe that Izaya would do something like this without an ulterior motive… "Hey Iza-"

"Anyway," Izaya piped up before Shizuo could continue. "That's all I've got to say, you can go now." He waved a hand as though dismissing him. Having been suddenly cut off, Shizuo blinked at him in surprise before giving a slight nod. Either way it wouldn't be helpful in any way if he started a fight with Izaya today. It seemed that he did only want to chat. Well that's different.

"Ah-okay, so see ya Izaya," he muttered awkwardly, trudging past the bench where Izaya sat. He was almost at the door when he paused, remembering why he came in the first place. "Oh yeah- about Friday…" he began, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Izaya finally looked up from his knife. His eyes glinted amusedly. "What about Friday? What, are you chickening out? But then again, you never did agree to coming with me to the dance in the first place huh Shizu-chan?" he mused. "Well if you're really _that scared_, then we can cancel it?"

He left the offer hanging in the air, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. It was like he was dangling a piece of candy in front of a child, ready to yank it away the first chance they tried to grab it; so close yet so impossible to attain. It was mockery.

Shizuo raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"Cancel it? What do you take me for Izaya?" he snorted. "If I go back on my word ('what word?' laughed Izaya) I'll just be the laughing stock of the whole school. (And not to mention Erika would never let me hear the end of it). Nah I'm going, and you can bet I'm going to make it one hell of a night for you too. You're going to regret inviting yourself as my date." Shooting one last glare at Izaya, he shoved his hands back into his pockets and opened the rooftop door again to leave. Izaya looked pleased, his grin widened and eyes glinted. Fingers laced together, he surveyed Shizuo's retreating back with mounting interest.

"Oh one last thing," Shizuo paused again looking back at Izaya. "I'll pick you up at your place, six o'clock."

Izaya smiled. "See you then." And the door snapped shut.

* * *

**A/N:**so Izaya's not that much of a shit xD sorry for the late update, let's just say I didn't have my laptop for a while orz

**Please review!** c: feel free to suggest anything or point out any typos or grammar errors I may have made, thanks for reading!


	5. Thursday

**Keep It Nice**

* * *

Previous chapter:

_"Oh one last thing," Shizuo paused again looking back at Izaya. "I'll pick you up at your place, six o'clock."_

_Izaya smiled. "See you then." And the door snapped shut._

* * *

_**Thursday**_

* * *

"Hey Shinra?"

"Yeah what's up Shizuo?"

Shizuo turned in his seat. "What are you even supposed to wear to a semi-formal dance?"

He glanced up to meet Shinra's eyes, a faint pink tinting his cheeks in embarrassment. He's been to dances before of course but this is the first time the school's hosted a semi-formal and the last thing he needed is to show up in the wrong attire. Izaya would never let him hear the end of it. And since Shinra was the one who made him go to the dance, he might as well ask him for some advice. And it's probably now or never since he's pushed it off until the last moment to get help and the dance was tomorrow. Hopefully it wouldn't backfire on him.

Shinra smiled at him kindly. "Well if you need help getting your outfit I can help. Really anything is fine, there isn't much of a dress code for semi-formal. A plain button-down shirt or a vest and tie can work wonders. Just make sure you don't _overdress_. So nothing like a tuxedo okay? Just nice shirt and pants would work."

"Oh alright then..." replied Shizuo with a relieved sigh. "I thought it would've been more complicated than that. Well if that's the case I think I should be fine. A white shirt and black pants would be fine right?"

"Mn I think so," nodded Shinra. "You might want to add a simple tie in there." He fingered his pencil idly turning his gaze away from the blackboard to face Shizuo. From the look he was giving him, Shizuo immediately knew what he was going to ask. "So... are you _really_ going with Izaya?"

"For the last time," sighed Shizuo. "_Yes I am_ and no matter how many times you ask my answer's not going to change." He grimaced.

"And neither is the fact that _it's going to be a fucking horrible night_," he added exasperatedly. Just the prospect of going to a _dance_ with Izaya of all people made him want to pick up something heavy and throw it out the window. Luckily class was going on and the last thing Shizuo needed was another detention.

Shinra gave him a weird look; it was halfway between pity and amusement. "I don't know if I should ask, but from what you told me your bet with Izaya only included being nice to him. Was there a part of going out with him too?" He asked sarcastically.

"I'm not _going out_ with him. We're going to this stupid dance and after I'm going to win the bet. Then Izaya can kiss Ikebukuro goodbye," said Shizuo plainly. "Forever."

"Hm... well I uh-wish you luck?" smiled Shinra awkwardly. He didn't want to get Shizuo angry but he was starting to doubt his ability to go through with this bet. It seemed that he was holding up pretty well up until now but who knows what'll happen after an entire night of _Izaya. _If he hadn't seen Shizuo's development at controlling his anger with his own eyes Shinra would've fully well expected a war to break loose. Well at least he and Kadota would be there to restrain him if anything happened, well try to restrain him. "Ah anyway, you know how we can bring guests right?"

"Yeah, are you planning on bringing someone?" asked Shizuo. _Now that I think about it,_ he thought suddenly. _I don't believe Shinra's told me who he's going with. But I figured it'd be-but that's..._

The bell rang signaling the end of the period and the of rustling of students getting up and leaving cut through their conversation. Shizuo stacked up his books and waited as Shinra packed up his things. He took his time closing up his notebook and packing his work into his bag and didn't speak until they'd left the classroom.

"Hey Shizuo, do you think I could bring Celty?" he asked cautiously.

_Of course._

Shizuo gave a small shrug. "Well... it'd definitely be nice if Celty could come but- you know- there's the fact that _she doesn't have a head..._"

He almost walked into Shinra who stopped abruptly in the hallway and pouted at him.

"Maybe she could wear her helmet?" suggested Shinra weakly. "People dress weirdly around here anyway with the coloured gangs and what not. Maybe they won't mind if she wears a helmet."

"I guess you've got a point there," muttered Shizuo. Who knows, maybe people won't even care if someone's date showed up in a motorcycle helmet. The people at this school are pretty weird as is. "It's your call, if you think it'll work. Just saying, I'd love it if Celty could come." He smiled. Celty is and had always been a close friend to him and he was sure that she'd enjoy a night with Shinra. It would be nice if Shinra could somehow get her to come.

"Yeah I'll ask her!" beamed Shinra, all awkwardness forgotten. Just the prospect of going to the dance with his beloved Celty cheered him up drastically. "Actually I'll go ask her now!" And without further ado, he swung his bag over his shoulder and dashed up the hallway and out of sight.

"And to think that's the guy that keeps telling me not to ditch class," scoffed Shizuo. Anyway, now that Shinra's gone, he's going to have to deal with a whole period of class with Izaya.

* * *

To be honest, the class could've gone worse. At least Izaya didn't shove himself in his face this time as a substitute for a morning greeting. Actually, he was already in his seat when Shizuo walked into the room. Other than his usual smirk widening he gave no sign of seeing the blond.

Shizuo trudged over to his desk and slumped down into his seat trying his best to ignore Izaya's presence. The teacher hadn't shown up yet so he pulled out his cell phone and scrolled to Kasuka's number on his contact list. His brother had been at a friend's working on a project yesterday and hadn't come home until late into the night so Shizuo never had a chance to ask him about what had happened yesterday. Opening a new message, he typed:

_Hey Kasuka, are you alright? I heard about what happened yesterday. Sorry about not meeting you for lunch._

He hit send. A few seconds later his phone vibrated in his hand. Kasuka always replied quickly. Flipping open his phone he read the new message.

_To: Shizuo_

_From: Kasuka_

_It's alright, don't be sorry. I'm fine. Nothing happened. Izaya dealt with them. _

Shizuo stared at the message flashing on his screen. Well there goes the last possibility that Izaya had been lying. The benefit of doubt has just gone out the window since there's no way Kasuka would lie to him especially not about the flea. It seemed that he has to accept the fact that Izaya did in fact help his brother when he wasn't there to do so. But what was the _point? _Since when does Izaya ever help someone out of the goodness of his heart? That is, if he had a heart. He sighed shutting the phone with a click. A slight feeling of relief washed over him. It was only for a brief moment before he snapped back to his senses.

Why was he feeling relieved? _Am I _glad_ that Izaya hadn't been lying... That maybe for once he actually did something genuinely? But that doesn't change the fact that the flea still can't be trusted... right?_

Vzzz!

The screen on his phone flashed again displaying a new message from Kasuka.

_To: Shizuo_

_From: Kasuka_

_Hey brother, I'm not in Izaya's grade so I don't see him around much. Could you do me a favour? Thank him for me would you?_

Shizuo made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. Thank him? Doesn't Kasuka know he's got a damn hard time just _talking_ to the guy and he wants him to _thank _him? After complaining from the moment he got home to daybreak the next morning of how damn annoying Izaya was, Shizuo would've thought that Kasuka had gotten the idea that he _hates Izaya._

Shaking his head vigorously he bit down on his lip. No, he wouldn't get angry at his brother, nothing good ever comes out of that. After all what Izaya did... _I suppose does deserve some gratitude on my part. Kasuka wouldn't have needed Izaya's help if I had been there. _To think those bastards would go after his brother.

_Tch. I thanked him yesterday didn't I? Alright not very formally but who cares the flea should get the idea._

At that moment the teacher entered the room and silence fell immediately. Stuffing his phone back in his pocket, Shizuo turned his attention to the blackboard. After a few minutes of taking lecture notes there came a faint scratching from behind and a crumpled up piece of paper landed on his desk.

He raised his eyebrows staring at the paper incredulously and turned around. Guess he wouldn't be so lucky as to have Izaya ignore him the whole morning. No doubt the flea was just waiting to ruin his day. Hazel eyes met crimson and that irksome smirk crept back onto Izaya's face. Shizuo's eyes darted from the paper to Izaya's face, expression clearly saying _are you passing _notes?!

Izaya grinned at him and gestured to the paper with his pen. Still sceptical, Shizuo turned back in his seat and pried open the crumpled sheet his eyebrows threatening to disappear into his hairline. _What the hell flea?_

On the paper scrawled in Izaya's neat handwriting were the words:

_Class is boring. Entertain me._

Flipping the paper over irritably, he scribbled "NO" in large letters before tossing the paper back over his shoulder. He could hear Izaya snickering behind him. Another paper landed on his desk.

Fighting the urge to turn around and cuff Izaya on the head, he opened it and it read:

_Why not? And you have horrible handwriting Shizu-chan._

Shizuo glared at the paper. Okay, sure Izaya's handwriting_ was _a lot better than his but does that stupid flea have to rub it in his face? To be honest, Shizuo's writing looked like messy block letters whereas Izaya actually did neat cursive. He still remembered Shinra begging Izaya to do his calligraphy last year for art. Gritting his teeth he picked up a pen and wrote as neatly as he could: "how about now?"

He could hear a faint tearing sound as Izaya ripped another sheet out of his notebook.

_Still horrible._

God damn it. Well what had he expected. Turning the paper over, he wrote: "shut up" and passed it back to Izaya.

_But I didn't _say_ anything._

_Snarky bastard_, thought Shizuo.

This note passing went on for the rest of the class. Generally with Izaya writing stupid taunts and Shizuo scribbling back insults. The class was boring enough that Shizuo didn't really mind being distracted.

_Don't write anything then._

_And why not Shizu-chan?_

_You're wasting my time._

_As if you were listening to the lecture anyway._

_Stop wasting my time._

_You don't seem to mind._

Shizuo paused. Well, that _was _kinda true considering if he really wanted to stop the note-passing he could've just stopped replying. But nonetheless he still wrote back a reply.

_What's that supposed to mean?_

_You must really hate this class if you're willing to talk to _me _as an alternative._

Shizuo's eyes passed over the words and he could almost hear Izaya's smirk in the back of his head. It was all imagination of course, neither Shizuo nor Izaya had spoken a word throughout the class but even the notes Shizuo read in Izaya's voice. Unable to think up a witty comeback, he finally decided to just stop replying and stuffed the note in his desk. Averted his eyes from the table, he glanced instead out the window to his left.

He thought their little note passing game had ended until a few minutes later another scrap piece of paper fluttered onto his desk.

_The back of your head is cute._

_What the hell? _thought Shizuo glaring at the paper and wishing that he could write 'fuck you' or something along those lines but that would go against the rules of their bet. He ground his teeth together and forced out the most 'civilized' reply he could.

_Are you losing it flea? You that bored?_

_Yep~_

Past that point Shizuo had entirely stopped replying to Izaya's notes. The rest of the class passed in silence, Shizuo moving occasionally to take down a note or two. Being bored out of his mind, Izaya lay his head in his arms and stared pointlessly at Shizuo's back. Some part of him was was laughing sarcastically at the (as Erika would call it) love/hate relationship he had Shizuo shared. It was pretty laughable considering that note-passing was just about the more civilized conversation they had in months without one trying to throw a blow at the other. It really has gone to the point where they can't even open their mouths without starting a fight. Or maybe it's been at that point all along.

_Ah well it could've been worse, _he mused. _It was fun for the time being._

* * *

The final bell rang dismissing the class and as Izaya got up to leave, Shizuo passed him in a hurry bumping roughly into his shoulder. Stumbling forward Izaya nearly collided with the desk had his quick reflexes not told him to side step. The words 'oi watch it' were right at his lips before he paused, noticing the tiny piece of paper sitting on his desk. _When did he put that note there?_

Picking up the paper he noticed that it was the last one he had passed to Shizuo over twenty minutes ago, only he'd written on the back.

_Hey Izaya, thanks for yesterday. Kasuka says thanks, same from me._

_Heiwajima Shizuo (don't get me wrong I still hate you though)_

Stifling a chuckle he pocketed the note. _So that's what had be bothering the brute this morning? He wanted to thank me? _Well that was unexpected. If anything Izaya would've thought Shizuo'd still be angry at him about what happened yesterday. In fact, he was fairly surprised he hadn't gotten a rant yet about having an ulterior motive (not that he didn't) for helping Kasuka and holding that move against him. The brute rarely listened to reason anyway so it wouldn't be that far of a stretch. _Stupid unpredictable protozoan._

_And it was just a small thing on my part anyway to make up for that interruption in our game. I never thought he'd take it that seriously. _Just how unpredictable could Shizuo get?

Izaya stood up suddenly and swung his bag over his shoulder, eyes narrowing with a faint glint of mischief. _That sounded like a challenge._

_This reaction is quite as interesting as his rage though... if that's the case I should do this more often. I want to see that other side of the monster and just how much he could act against my expectations._

Three long strides and Izaya was out of the now empty classroom. The hallways were still as cramped and loud as ever right after school with students rushing from their classes and meeting up with their friends. Izaya slipped through the crowd and headed for the east staircase. No doubt he had memorized the map of the school and knew _exactly _where all his enemies' lockers were located, including Shizuo's.

His grin widened when he saw that Shizuo still hadn't left yet. His books were sewn across the floor and he was stacking up some papers to bring home. Izaya walked up to him just as he shoved a binder unceremoniously into his bag.

"You're welcome Shizu-chan."

Shizuo froze and turned slowly to face Izaya. His mocha eyes seemed to flatten and Izaya's glittered with mirth. _Looks like I was right, a single word and we'd be at each others' throats._

_Let me guess, he's going to attack me now. Or maybe not, considering he's gotten a lot better at controlling that temper of his._

They studied each other for a few seconds, the remaining students in the hallway filing down the staircase. Maybe they sensed a fight was going to break out. Who knows, _normally _it would. Though this time, Shizuo was the one to break the silence.

"Thanks." He muttered, so faint Izaya almost missed it.

"For what?" Prompted Izaya with a grin.

Shizuo shot him a glare. "You know what."

"I do. But I want to hear you say it."

"You really enjoy making me suffer don't you?" Growled Shizuo through gritted teeth.

"Very much," agreed Izaya with a not so innocent smile.

Shizuo's eyes seemed to bore into him. A few weeks ago, Izaya would say he could almost _feel _the hate the blond felt towards him just from that abhorring glare. But up until recently, it didn't feel like pure hate anymore. Unless he was much mistaken, there seemed to be a little uncertainty that glare.

"I just- wanted to say thanks..." Shizuo cast his eyes downward refusing to look at Izaya's no doubt smug face. He grinded his teeth together. "For yesterday. For helping Kasuka. Though you probably have another motive- (_oh here we go, _thought Izaya)- I still appreciated it... I guess."

"...You guess?" repeated Izaya with a chuckle. _Oh well, that was much more than I thought he'd get. No lecture or threats about holding his over him huh? This guy is just one surprise after another. _

Feeling relatively satisfied, Izaya slide his hands into his pockets and wheeled around on his heel. _Okay, guess we'll call it a day here._ He was headed for the staircase before Shizuo spoke again.

"What, so that's it?"

"So what's it?" Izaya replied nonchalantly.

"You just... came up here to get me to say _thanks?_ That's- you're weird," muttered Shizuo. Throwing a weird glance at Izaya he bent down again to finish putting his books away.

"Funny who's talking!" laughed Izaya. "With your temper and monsterous strength, do you really think it's fair to call _me _weird?" He turned back so he could get a good look at Shizuo's expression wondering if he's finally hit a nerve. Actually, this must've been the longest conversation they've had in a long time without having exchanged punches yet. He was expecting Shizuo to be angry, annoyed, maybe even _excited_ that a fight was about to start, but what he didn't expect was for Shizuo to burst out laughing.

Izaya stared, a frown forming on his face as Shizuo's chuckles faded away. That hadn't been expected. _That's not what was supposed to happen. _He was supposed to get angry and they would begin another one of their 'chases' probably destroying a lot of property again. That's what _usually _happens.

"Okay you've got a point there," smirked Shizuo. "So that makes both of us. Shinra too I guess, weird doesn't even _begin _to cover it." He gave a little laugh.

Izaya didn't laugh. If anything, his face was more impassive than ever. _Damn it, still can't predict him. After a year of going to school with this guy I still can't predict a simple response like that..._

Shizuo got up and slung his bag over his shoulder still smiling faintly. This would be the least violence end to a conversation with Izaya in his life probably. Achievement? Maybe. The hallway was empty now. If he's lucky, Shinra would be waiting for him downstairs.

He was about to turn around and leave when Izaya strode right up to him and suddenly yanked him down roughly by the hair. He was about to protest when Izaya tilted his head up. Their lips were less than an inch from each other and just as Izaya was about to force his head all the way down, Shizuo panicked. With a startled gasp he shoved Izaya in the chest as hard as he could losing his footing in the process and toppling painfully into the lockers. Izaya stumbled back a bit before regaining his footing a smile already forming at his lips. Unlike Shizuo, Izaya didn't fall.

Before he could even get up, Izaya gave a little laugh, swung open the staircase door and left. Shizuo stared in shock at the door swinging closed.

_What the hell was that?!_

* * *

Glancing at his watch for the hundredth time, Shinra gave an exasperated sigh. It's almost been half an hour since school ended, maybe Shizuo had already left without him. Just when he was about to give and up go home, he noticed a tall figure coming down from the stairs.

"Shizuo!" he exclaimed in relief. "So you were still here? Where were you? I was waiting forever, hey- why's your face all red?" Shinra blinked at him curiously and Shizuo hastened to turn away.

"It's- It's nothing..." he mumbled. "Thanks for waiting, let's just go."

"Oh were you with Izaya? He just left too," added Shinra, trying to get a closer look at Shizuo's face. Shizuo batted his hand away.

"No I wasn't."

"He did say something though, as he left I mean."

"Oh yeah? What did he say?"

Shinra gave a little shrug. "I have no idea what it means, he was laughing and he said _'Now that was predictable'_."

* * *

**A/N: **I'm assuming you guys know what Izaya meant ;)

it was an almost kiss xD don't kill me

if you liked, review please ^^ please point out any grammatical etc errors you may find and I'm always open to suggestions.


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